Winemaker Notes
Blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petit Verdot, 12% Tannat, 7% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 Mother Of Exiles is the Bordeaux blend of the estate and is based on 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petit Verdot, 12% Tannat, and nearly equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc. This inky purple-hued effort offers up a great nose of crème de cassis and plum fruits as well as chocolate, graphite, lead pencil, and sweet tobacco. An opulent, hedonistic, supple, and incredibly sexy blend, it’s going to drink nicely for at least a decade.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Impressively weighty aromas of cassis, elderberry, soy, black pepper and green herb show on the nose of this blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petit Verdot, 12% Tannat, 7% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc. Firm tannins frame the dense palate of cassis, licorice and dark herb. Drink now through 2034.
Cellar Selection -
James Suckling
A big, rich red with lots of blackberry and plum aromas and flavors. It’s full-bodied and velvety with a ripe-fruit aftertaste. A little old-school, but flamboyant and attractive. Drink now or hold.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Paso Robles has made a name for itself as a source of supple, powerful, fruit-driven Central Coast wines. But with eleven smaller sub-AVAs, there is actually quite a bit of diversity to be found in this inland portion of California’s Central Coast.
Just east over the Santa Lucia Mountains from the chilly Pacific Ocean, lie the coolest in the region: Adelaida, Templeton Gap and (Paso Robles) Willow Creek Districts, as well as York Mountain AVA and Santa Margarita Ranch. These all experience more ocean fog, wind and precipitation compared to the rest of the Paso sub-appellations. The San Miguel, (Paso Robles) Estrella, (Paso Robles) Geneso, (Paso Robles) Highlands, El Pomar and Creston Districts, along with San Juan Creek, are the hotter, more western appellations of the greater Paso Robles AVA.
This is mostly red wine country, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel standing out as the star performers. Other popular varieties include Merlot, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Grenache and Rhône blends, both red and white. There is a fairly uniform tendency here towards wines that are unapologetically bold and opulently fruit-driven, albeit with a surprising amount of acidity thanks to the region’s chilly nighttime temperatures.